lkmreads's review
1.0
It had interesting exercises, but I didn't really like any of them and didn't feel half of them helped me actually move forward with the story. I didn't find them helpful at all (well, maybe one or two), and it just seems like it'll lead you to a very formulaic novel (even if at its very core every novel is formulaic, as it follows a beginning, middle and end, after all).
Also the basic tips it gives behind all the exercises and rambling are pretty obvious tips.
This might work for some people, but it's not working out for me.
It might also work if all you want to do is get down on paper a novel or that first novel because you're terribly blocked or it's your very first and you're super nervous... but that's about it.
Also the basic tips it gives behind all the exercises and rambling are pretty obvious tips.
This might work for some people, but it's not working out for me.
It might also work if all you want to do is get down on paper a novel or that first novel because you're terribly blocked or it's your very first and you're super nervous... but that's about it.
lisettegr's review
5.0
Ik heb een verhaal? Ik heb bijna 200 pagina's aan verhaal? ik ga het heel erg moeten herschrijven want het is nu alleen maar een skelet (een megabreekbaar skelet dat ook nog 'ns verschrikkelijk slecht elkaar gezet is), maar
holy fk. sorry ik ben even sprakeloos
(Dit 90-Day Novel-boek is fantastisch en redde mijn verhaal waarover ik tien jaar gedaan heb)
(ja tien ja)
(wat
nu)
holy fk. sorry ik ben even sprakeloos
(Dit 90-Day Novel-boek is fantastisch en redde mijn verhaal waarover ik tien jaar gedaan heb)
(ja tien ja)
(wat
nu)
jennfischetto's review
4.0
I haven't completed this book in full, but I've used it several times for different wips. Each time I used it through the first couple of months. The exercises are great for getting to know your characters and story more. I've found, however, that I didn't feel the connection to my story after working on them then I did before. And I'm a plotter, so I don't have problems with thinking things through before the writing process.
Regardless, I still think it's a great book and helpful to some. I'll definitely pull it back out when I work on that adventure story I have stuffed in the back of my mind. :)
Regardless, I still think it's a great book and helpful to some. I'll definitely pull it back out when I work on that adventure story I have stuffed in the back of my mind. :)
warwriter's review
4.0
Good to use to start things going, but if you're going in for the long haul, not so good. You end up with a notebook or a pile of notebooks with messy garbage and you have to sift through it to find a story. Got sick of it by day 20, gave up five days later.
aliciabooks's review
3.0
PROVIDES SOME GOOD STRUCTURE AND HELPFUL EXERCISES TO UNLOCK YOUR WRITING - I CAN DEF SEE WRITING A NOVEL WITH THIS AT YOUR SIDE
annasirius's review
4.0
This is a highly motivating book. The formula is simple, but it's enabling.
I wrote my first snippet of fiction when I was about 9, started writing more seriously at age 13. By my mid-20s, I'd written 3.5 first drafts of original fiction and many more beginnings. I was very much a character-focused discovery writer. Alan would call it 'intuitive'.
During my PhD and postgrad times, I worked a lot on my plotting, since I knew this is where I needed to develop my craft, but I lost the ability to actually sit down and write. It seemed a daunting task to attack yet another huge project on top of all my academic work. In the meantime, I also ran TTRPGs, and out of my last campaign, I developed a few story ideas that made me more confident than I've ever been about my next project - but while I've left academia now, I'm still working full-time, and that during lockdown. Finding the time and focus to write seemed a massive task.
Alan Watt's approach to writing novels comes at the perfect time. It's different from most books on writing I've read by addressing the perfectionism that's always been in my way and encouraging to put that aside - again and again. It gives you license to play. It acknowledges the importance of the sort of prep where you're sitting around and dreaming about your story and makes that a vital part of your process. It encourages you to write everything that goes through your brain down but to allow yourself to play with ideas, not run with whatever comes first to your mind as if a lion is after you. (There used to be times when I had to do that or else I'd never finish a draft.)
This method provides both structure and freedom just in the right balance - at least for me. Two hours a day are enough. I've started to structure my day so I have an hour in the morning and an hour in the evening - and I love how things are starting to fall into place by adding to the pool of ideas bit by bit without the need to actually start writing the main piece within the first month of this daily commitment. Toying with the idea is a third of your 'work'. Makes it much more fun!
A few caveats:
* the approach is great, the suggested story structure is limited. It assumes you're writing the most common type of Hollywood movie, where the protagonist tackles an issue, manages to overcome the obstacles, and finds himself changed at the end. I recommend reading Jill Chamberlain's 'Nutshell Technique' to also explore the possibility of a tragic ending - especially for novel writing. Overall, her approach to structure suits me better.
* I wish the proposed daily writing prompts were more diverse. There are many prompts that ask you to write from the perspective of your protagonist but don't take into account that people often don't know about their own flaws etc. I'd prefer less writing from the protagonist's POV and more writing from the perspective of the antagonist (there is some of that), or descriptions of the setting, the atmosphere, feelings you wish to capture, social problems you'd like to explore, important supportive characters etc.
* Alan Watt seems to lean towards discovery writing. It's okay for him if you only know some basic plot points by the time you start drafting. Personally, after many years of trying this writing method, I prefer a much more detailed outline. Here the book lets me down - no guidance is provided on how to do that.
I wrote my first snippet of fiction when I was about 9, started writing more seriously at age 13. By my mid-20s, I'd written 3.5 first drafts of original fiction and many more beginnings. I was very much a character-focused discovery writer. Alan would call it 'intuitive'.
During my PhD and postgrad times, I worked a lot on my plotting, since I knew this is where I needed to develop my craft, but I lost the ability to actually sit down and write. It seemed a daunting task to attack yet another huge project on top of all my academic work. In the meantime, I also ran TTRPGs, and out of my last campaign, I developed a few story ideas that made me more confident than I've ever been about my next project - but while I've left academia now, I'm still working full-time, and that during lockdown. Finding the time and focus to write seemed a massive task.
Alan Watt's approach to writing novels comes at the perfect time. It's different from most books on writing I've read by addressing the perfectionism that's always been in my way and encouraging to put that aside - again and again. It gives you license to play. It acknowledges the importance of the sort of prep where you're sitting around and dreaming about your story and makes that a vital part of your process. It encourages you to write everything that goes through your brain down but to allow yourself to play with ideas, not run with whatever comes first to your mind as if a lion is after you. (There used to be times when I had to do that or else I'd never finish a draft.)
This method provides both structure and freedom just in the right balance - at least for me. Two hours a day are enough. I've started to structure my day so I have an hour in the morning and an hour in the evening - and I love how things are starting to fall into place by adding to the pool of ideas bit by bit without the need to actually start writing the main piece within the first month of this daily commitment. Toying with the idea is a third of your 'work'. Makes it much more fun!
A few caveats:
* the approach is great, the suggested story structure is limited. It assumes you're writing the most common type of Hollywood movie, where the protagonist tackles an issue, manages to overcome the obstacles, and finds himself changed at the end. I recommend reading Jill Chamberlain's 'Nutshell Technique' to also explore the possibility of a tragic ending - especially for novel writing. Overall, her approach to structure suits me better.
* I wish the proposed daily writing prompts were more diverse. There are many prompts that ask you to write from the perspective of your protagonist but don't take into account that people often don't know about their own flaws etc. I'd prefer less writing from the protagonist's POV and more writing from the perspective of the antagonist (there is some of that), or descriptions of the setting, the atmosphere, feelings you wish to capture, social problems you'd like to explore, important supportive characters etc.
* Alan Watt seems to lean towards discovery writing. It's okay for him if you only know some basic plot points by the time you start drafting. Personally, after many years of trying this writing method, I prefer a much more detailed outline. Here the book lets me down - no guidance is provided on how to do that.
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